


The Force isn't black and white

by sailorcrisp



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, implied past relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-02-10 01:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12901011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorcrisp/pseuds/sailorcrisp
Summary: "It's time for the Jedi to end.""The Republic thought they destroyed the Sith Empire. The Sith destroyed the Republic and Jedi. The Empire fell as well as the Sith with the death of Darth Vader. Now the New Republic is under threat from the First Order and all is left is one broken Jedi. It looks like the Force is trying to find a balance to me." Xanthe suggests with a shrug.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OK, well this isn't how episode 8 is going to be obviously, but I wondered if a SWTOR and episode 8 crossover would be possible. I always wondered what happened to Darth Nox/Imperius after being "upgraded" on Rishi, after all the drama with Zakuul and the Eternal Empire. This is my poor attempt at a possible scenario that crosses over with the modern Star Wars era. Hopefully it's plausible enough and not too painful to read!  
> Constructive criticism is always welcome, but no flames please!

“Ah, to what do I have the pleasure for this call….” He trails off, seeing the familiar masked hooded figure. “My Lord…?”  
“Have you forgotten me so quickly Lord Scourge?” The hooded figure asked. “Of course not. I did not expect to see you wearing that mask or those robes again after so long. I almost thought you would never wear them again.” Scourge replies.

“It has crossed my mind a few times I must admit. But after… recent developments, I have decided I have been hiding for too long and I feel it is time to come back and remind this First Order of what the dark side truly is. This Knights of Ren group is… troublesome and needs to be destroyed. The galaxy is not protected with this… cult in charge. The empire that Darth Sidious created based on our glorious past has dwindled to a fraction of its original might. With Darth Vader gone, the last of the new Sith Order following Bane’s Rule of Two is no more. You and I are the last of our kind, presuming you haven’t taken any apprentices of course.”

Scourge nods in agreement. “As per your instructions, I have set up some Sith and Imperial colonies in wild space over time. I have created- along with other Sith still alive at the time, an academy. We do have some successors to the original Lords and Darths that came with me. Not as many force sensitives here as there was in the unknown regions at first. We had to encourage procreation among the Sith in the hopes we get more force sensitive candidates… as well as “escorting” others from the unknown regions discreetly.”  
The masked figure nods in understanding. “I suppose it could not be helped. The galaxy- or at least the core worlds- are vulnerable. Even more so than during the Treaty of Coruscant. The colonies and empire that you have built is all that can protect them from any threat.”  
“We. My Lord. We built this empire. We are responsible for the Sith surviving. We are responsible for the rebuilding of our Empire. You may have not stayed with us the whole duration, but it was your plan. You designed this strategy and it worked. We survived. The Jedi are all but extinct, the Sith following Darth Bane’s new order are extinct. You kept our order alive.”

The masked figure stays silent for a few moments, Scourge patiently waits for a response. “You give me too much credit Scourge.” Scourge swore he could see a smirk through that mask. “Lord Scourge, how would you feel about taking a little….expedition down to the core worlds?”  
“What did you have in mind my Lord?”

“I have no problem taking care of the Knights of Ren by myself, but I thought you might enjoy the exercise. And perhaps, have a small fleet on standby in the Outer Rim.”  
Scourge cocks his head in confusion. “An invasion Lord Kallig? I thought you had no interest for such things anymore?”  
“No. No invasion. Just a surprise party if need be. I have been in slumber for too long. I have seen the galaxy crumble. This First Order needs to be disbanded and the Jedi Order reinstated, along with a re-establishment of the Republic. The capital of the New Republic has been destroyed. All that is left of the faction that birthed the New Republic is called ‘The Resistance’. If getting rid of that cult doesn’t destabilise the First Order as quickly as I would like, I would like you to bring in the fleet to help speed things along. I am quite curious to see how strong our Imperial forces actually are. You could call it a test run or skirmish.”

Scourge smiles and relaxes his stance. “I am looking forward to our reunion Lord Kallig. I am sure the troops will be excited to see a glimpse of the core worlds and the origins of our Empire. They will not disappoint you. Do you require any additional Sith?”

“No. Just any you deem appropriate to supervise on the command vessels, should they be ambushed.”

“Understood my Lord. Where will we meet?”

“On the moon of Yavin 4. I will send you coordinates. Oh and Scourge” the hooded figure takes off the mask and all that can be seen are yellow eyes. “I haven’t been called Kallig for a long time. Last I checked, I was a member of the Dark Council and had another title did I not?”

Scourge pales, if that is even possible for a Sith pureblood. “My apologies my Lord, I meant no disrespect, I saw your mask and I assumed-” He gets cut off by a wave of the hand from Kallig. “The council does not exist. You have nothing to fear from me. I was attempting humour, but I obviously failed.” The smirk drops. “Under Darth Zash, I was Lord Kallig. Darth Imperius was who I was for a period of time. Darth Imperius is who succeeded Darth Thanaton. Darth Imperius is who met Lana Beniko- the former advisor to Darth Arkous. Darth Imperius is who got the Emperor- Lord Vitiate’s attention. However… after my time with the Minister of Sith Intelligence and my experiences with the Emperor as the Commander and the Outlander, I feel that titles do not mean much anymore. However, you may call me with whatever title you wish. ”  
“Yes my Lord.”  
“Well then. I look forward to seeing you in person. May the Force serve you well Lord Scourge.”  
“And you my Lord.” Scourge replies with a bow and ends the transmission.

Kallig sighs and leans back on the chair. “Query: Master, why have you decided to wear your Sith robes? I thought you said you would never wear them again and that your identity died with L- erh hem, the... Minister of Sith Intelligence.” HK-55 asks arriving at the door to the cockpit. His query was met with silence. “Master?”

“Circumstances change HK. Also, I am not obliged to answer you as I am your master. You would do well to remember that in the future.” Kallig states without turning. 

“Observation: Oh master, you’re sounding more like your old self! Eager anticipation: I can’t wait to destroy meatbags like in the old days. Perhaps not as exciting or challenging as destroying Republic troops or Jedi, but it will be enough for a warm up.” HK says while walking around in… well what you would call a droid equivalent of excitement. Kallig closes their eyes hoping HK leaves. ‘I really am not in the mood for repairing that droid.’  
HK finally stops moving around. ‘Oh thank the Force’ Kallig thinks, about to let out a sigh of relief until HK speaks again. “Afterthought: Master, although I am eagerly anticipating this glorious bloodbath, I just realised it is not in your character to change your mind. You don’t break promises. You said your life as a Sith Lord and your identity died a long time ago. Statement: I need to know if you are damaged master so I can help you achieve peak performance master.”

Kallig grips the arms of the chair tighter and tighter until HK’s last statement in which the Sith Lord’s eyes fly open and something snaps inside. Kallig immediately stands up and turns to HK, eyes glowing in the old familiar feeling of the dark side. “ I am perfectly fine droid. Unfortunately, it seems the galaxy can’t survive without my help, so in order to make sure the Jedi do not go extinct, I must take matters into my own hands. She would not have wanted me to sit by in the corner of the galaxy watching it all fall apart when we both know I could do something about it. That is why HK. I have not broken a promise…. I am finally fulfilling it.”  
Kallig hears the faintest whisper in their ear, a voice of someone long ago and for a brief second sees a person with blonde hair, glowing eyes and armour smiling at the Sith Lord. Kallig snaps their eyes shut and turns away from HK. “We will start training tomorrow to see if you need any fine tuning. But for now, leave me.” the Sith Lord commands and hears it walk away saying “Statement: Very well master”. Once the droid is out of earshot, Kallig collapses onto the chair and breaks into sobs.

\----

Rey was busy cleaning her staff when she felt a disturbance in the force. The intensity and suddenness of it made her drop the staff and drop to her knees. She put her hands on her head in an attempt to contain… well whatever it was. ‘It feels like a mixture of ‘anger, loss, fear, despair and…. Longing? Or resignation?’ Rey thought to herself. ‘Whoever this is, they are definitely strong in the force.’ She slowly gets back to her feet.  
“I must find Master Skywalker!”

Rey runs outside only to find Skywalker on the ground. She quickly runs and crouches next to him. “Master!?” Luke lifts his head “I’m ok Rey. The disturbance in the force caught me off guard. It was quite intense… Now I know how old Ben felt…” He trailed off. Rey looked at him in confusion. “Old Ben?” Luke realised his mistake “Oh yes, sorry Rey. It is what I called him growing up. His name was Obi Wan Kenobi. He was one of the last Jedi and gave me the lightsaber you carry with you now.” Rey nods in understanding. “Do you think we should look for the source of that disturbance?” Luke contemplates the question. “I don’t feel it is necessary, however, if you want to investigate, you can. Just be wary as those emotions you felt can lead to the dark side.”  
“I understand Master.”

A young woman was hunched over fiddling around with blaster pieces and engine parts when she noticed a shadow behind her. She quickly turned around and relaxed when she realised who it was. “Oh Rey, you startled me. How can I help you?”  
“I’m sorry Xanthe. I didn’t mean to interrupt or startle you. I was looking for someone.” Xanthe looks at her in confusion “As far as I know, it’s only you, me and Jedi Skywalker on this island- oh and my protocol droid of course.”  
“Yes that’s what I thought too… It’s just...well...Nevermind.” Rey is about to walk off when Xanthe frowns at her “Wait!” Rey stops. “I might not be a Jedi, but I did grow up hearing about the Force and the Jedi and Sith- in secret of course- but nonetheless, I do have an idea about those things. I might be somewhat of an crazy engineer and average pilot” gesturing to her crash landed ship “But it doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the history before the First Order and the Galactic Empire.” 

Rey looks at her in surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I assumed no one understanding the Jedi had survived, The truth is I felt a disturbance in the Force. Someone seemed to be in… Pain? I couldn’t quite put my finger on which emotion it was. It was quite powerful and I wanted to search the island in case someone else is here.” Xanthe shakes her head “Nah, if anyone else was here, I’d know about it. I had my droid put scanners up just in case. I would like to keep my two Jedi friends alive as long as I can you know.” she ends with a smile.  
Rey returns an appreciative smile. She notices the blaster pieces on the ground and remembers something. “Since I’m here…. Would you mind teaching me how to aim a blaster properly? I may not always have a lightsaber handy and the last time I used a blaster I missed most shots.” Rey mumbles. Xanthe bursts out laughing “Of course! I may not be the best pilot around, but I am decent enough with a blaster. Just let me put it back together and we’ll be on our way.”

“How did you end up here anyway? I’ve been meaning to ask, but I always got sidetracked.” Rey asks. “Well it’s quite simple really…. I was just cruising along…. Didn’t see the debris… should’ve had my deflector shield on and the next thing I know, I crash landed here. Jedi Skywalker was already here at that time. I decided that the place had nice scenery, was quiet, had nice weather and had a Jedi on it, so I thought it’d be a good place to set up camp for a while… Not that I had a choice since I have no parts to replace on my ship. But hey, the location could’ve been worse.” Rey laughs “Yes that is true… It could’ve been Jakku!” They both laugh continuing their walk to the training ground.

“Query: Master, that female Jedi has been coming close to our ship several times. When can I eliminate her?”  
“No HK, she and her Master are to be kept alive. They are the only hope the Republic have left. Our concern is the First Order. Keeping yourself hidden should be your main objective at this time. Understood?”  
“Resignation: *sigh* Yes Master.”

Xanthe was walking around thinking of the blaster training she had with Rey. “I almost forgot how fun it can be to have company” she thinks out loud. It’s been about 3 days since she last laughed and before that….She couldn’t remember. She was brought out of her musings when an alert started sounding. A constant beeping was coming from her scanner. ‘Someone tripped the perimeter?’ she thought to herself. When she checked the camera, she swore and ran as fast as she could to her ship. There, in the camera, were soldiers in white and black armour.

“HK.”  
“Query: Yes Master?”  
“It seems like it the time has finally arrived. How would you like to eliminate a few “meatbags”?” 

Xanthe runs as fast as she could to the cave. “Rey! Rey! Where are you?” Luke immediately appears concern written on his face “What’s wrong?”  
“First Order troops are here! They tripped my perimeter alarm. You two need to get away now!”  
Luke has a solemn look on his face. “Get back to your ship. It’s too late for us.”  
“What? No!”  
“Yes, this is my fight. I have been hiding for too long and now it’s time for me to face my failures. Now go.”  
They look at each other, the choices warring in their minds being seen through their eyes. Finally Xanthe breaks eye contact and nods leaving the cave. As she’s walking to the ship she hears someone yell out. “Halt! Identify yourself!” Xanthe freezes. ‘Oh great’ she thinks. As she turns, she quickly lifts and discharges her blaster hitting the trooper straight in the chest. She didn’t expect 3 more troopers, with one actually paying attention and fired- thankfully due to her reflexes- only ended up hitting her in the arm. Suddenly Rey rushes behind them with a battle cry, cutting them down with her lightsaber.  
“Are you alright? How bad is your arm?” Rey asks upon closer inspection. “It’s fine Rey… I’ve had worse… much worse” she mutters the last part low enough so Rey couldn’t hear her. “I’ll be fine, my ship is over there. You should help Master Skywalker, the First Order already tripped the perimeter. I told him to run, but he refused.”  
Rey’s eyes widened in fear. “I better go! Send a distress beacon if you’re able!” and with that, she runs back towards the cave. Xanthe watches until she’s out of sight before walking back to her ship.

“Frustrated statement: Master, how long must I keep up this act?” Kallig turns, a smirk visible until the mask in falls in place. “No more acting HK. Time to fill your quota of meatbags. I assume that will greatly improve your mood?”  
“Anticipation: Oh yes, very much so Master.” Kallig nods. “Good. Let’s get them before Scourge takes away all the fun.”

“Fall back!” Luke yells. Rey finishes off one of- what she presumes to be- the Knights of Ren with a strike to the heart. As she turns to run, she sees another First Order trooper. “Surrender!” he shouts, pointing his blaster at her. She rolls her eyes. “I don’t have time for this” she mutters to herself and force pushes him into the wall. She meets up with Luke, only to find they’re in a section with no way out. “Oh no…” Rey turns to Luke, “What do we do now?”  
Luke doesn’t answer. “There’s nowhere left to go Jedi. It’s time to finish what Darth Vader started and complete Grandmaster Snoke’s training.” Kylo Ren states, walking into the last section of the cave. He extends a hand to Rey. “Come with me. You have so much potential, you could even rule the First Order. I could teach you more than the Jedi ever could!” 

Rey looks at him with fury in her eyes “No! I would never join you, you murderer!” and runs towards him with her lightsaber raised. “No! Rey!” Luke cries out. “That’s what he wants! Don’t give in to your anger! He’ll turn it against you! Stop!”  
Rey ignores him and tries to strike Kylo down but is blocked by his own lightsaber. She tries another strike but is again blocked. Her anger is clouding her judgement and doesn’t sense the danger of being too close to Kylo Ren and why he is only blocking and not attacking until it is too late. Rey twirls, putting more force behind her strike, trying to strike him on the shoulder, but is once again blocked and then pushed back with his lightsaber, but also with the force, resulting in Rey slightly losing her footing, but it was enough for Kylo Ren and sensing the opportunity, fired force lightning at her. Rey, being too close, didn’t have time to block the attack and felt it in full force causing her to be flown back and lose consciousness when she hit the ground. “Rey!” Luke cries out.  
Kylo turns to Luke, “It is over Jedi Skywalker.”

“Halt! Identify yourself! I repeat, ident-” the trooper starts choking and claws at his throat, only to be tossed like a rag doll into the wall. They stop as they hear a female voice crying out in rage. “Come HK, we are close.” They encounter two more troopers, with what Kallig assumes to be another member of the Knights of Ren. Kallig lifts the two troopers with the force snapping their necks in a very swift manner. “I am still a Sith Assassin after all.” Kallig states shrugging to HK, the Knight of Ren, none the wiser. “Admiration: You never lost your touch master. You almost put my assassination skills to shame.” Kallig walks up to the knight and waits for them to turn around. “I have heard interesting things about your group. I would like you to demonstrate. Knight.”

“Now Jedi Skywalker, where were we?” Kylo Ren asks, lifting his saber in a fighting stance. Luke looks hard at him searching through his eyes and eventually releases a breath. “It seems I have no choice but to fight you. It seems like Ben is truly dead.” Luke says sadly. He slowly removes his lightsaber from his waistband, and holding it up in a ready stance, with the bright green blade illuminating him. As Kylo was about to charge, a cry of someone in pain was heard and then pleading, which was getting louder and louder. “What is that? You! Go now!” Kylo Ren snarls pointing at the troopers and another knight, only to see one limping backwards as if it was backing away from someone. Before anyone could ask, he collapsed to his knees, choking. “Pl-Please-e, M-Mercy… No-Not like…..this-s…” He begged. Immediately, he could breathe and collapsed on all fours taking large gulps of air. As he lifted his body up to a kneeling stance, he was greeted with a blaster bolt to his chest and he fell to the ground lifeless.

All conscious members in the cave could then hear a robotic voice saying “Observation: I am somewhat disappointed Master. They are nothing like the ones we fought in the war. These meatbags are no match for us.”

Finally, a droid and a dark hooded figure walk into view. “Statement: It appears we have found them Master.” HK-55 points his rifle at them. “Request: May I eliminate these meatbags now Master?” Kylo Ren had enough. “What is the meaning of this!? Who are you? You are not a Jedi, of that I am certain. What business do you have here?” Kylo demands pointing his saber at them.  
The hooded figure seemingly ignores his question and instead asks “Are you injured, Master Jedi?” Luke looks at the hooded figure confused, as those robes are not of the Jedi, definitely not that of the Knights of Ren, but not quite... Sith either- or at least not of the Sith he has encountered- although the presence he felt was somewhat reminiscent to that of Darth Vader. He nods slowly, wondering if this is a trick “I am fine. But the more important question is who are you? You’re not part of the First Order are you?”

The hooded figure remains silent, their attention on the unconscious form of Rey. “Analysis: Master, the scan shows that her injuries are minor.” The figure nods. “Very good HK. Now I kindly suggest you all leave this cave now, save the Master Jedi and his apprentice of course.” If anyone could see through masks, they would’ve seen an incredulous look on Kylo Ren’s face. “What? How dare you? Do you even know who I am??? Enough of this, I will destroy you and then Skywalker!” and with that, he charged at the hooded figure. Before anyone knew what was happening, Kylo was immediately thrown against the wall, although it appeared that the hooded figure hadn’t moved a muscle. Again, Luke thought, reminiscent of Vader on Cloud City. 

“I wish you wouldn’t do that…” the hooded figure said in an exasperated tone. “If any of you value your lives, you will leave now. Otherwise I will not hesitate to destroy you.” The knights remained, but all force users could sense their unease. “Well what are you waiting for? Destroy them!” Kylo screamed out. The hooded figure let out a sigh. “Request granted HK. Only ones not to injure are the Jedi and Kylo Ren. Understood?”  
“Affirmation: Understood Master. DIE MEATBAGS!” HK-55 shouts out firing his blaster rifle with accurate precision.  
The hooded figure raised their hands unleashing force lightning at the Knights of Ren. Luke closed his eyes, remembering his first hand experience with force lightning at the hands of the Emperor, their screams not so different from his own at the time. The figure sensed him before anything else and spun around igniting their lightsaber in time to block Kylo Ren’s strike. The surprise was felt by all that saw this. The hooded figure was amused. “What? You’ve never seen a lightsaber before?” and with that, twirled the double bladed saber, pushing Kylo back. “What? But how…? Only Jedi and Sith have lightsabers with a blade like that… All but one are extinct. And that design...and a purple blade? Who are you?”

The hooded figure regards him for a moment before lifting the hood, revealing a dark coloured ominous mask. “You may call me Lord Kallig. I was also known as Darth Imperius if you must know.”  
“You lie! Darth Vader was the last of the Sith! I will destroy you!” Kylo yells out trying to strike, only for it to be blocked again by Kallig and force pushed away again. “I’m sure your master will be very interested in this information, and for that reason alone I am allowing only you to live. I suggest you ask him for more... accurate history of the Sith.” And without moving, to Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker’s horror, the surviving knights levitated into the air clawing at their throats for air. “This is the power of the dark side. Not your pitiful Knights of Ren band. I will personally see to it that you are no more. I am quite looking forward to meeting your “all-powerful” Grandmaster Snoke.” With that you could hear throats being crushed and bodies landing with a lifeless thud. “I suggest you leave before I change my mind and go after Snoke now.” Kylo quickly looks at his former fellow knights then at Luke and then at Kallig and runs off.

“Well HK, how did that feel?”  
“Satisfaction: If I had an emotion chip, I would be jumping for joy.”  
Kallig chuckled and looked at Luke who seemed unsure whether to attack, or grab Rey and run. “You have nothing to fear from me Master Jedi. I only want to keep you and Rey safe. The Jedi were not meant to be wiped out. When you created the academy, I assumed the Jedi Order would be reformed. I did not anticipate there would be a traitor, nor a new dark force present.”  
At that moment, Rey woke up to see all the bodies strewn across the cave as well as the masked figure next to Luke. “What’s going on? Who are you???” She demanded, groggily getting to her feet.  
“I suppose this will be easier to explain- and you would be more likely to listen- if I take off this mask I suppose.” Kallig takes off the mask, revealing- to Luke’s surprise- a normal young face. No scars or marking of dark side use, nor the piercing yellow eyes he witnessed on the Emperor. But it was Rey was responded first “What is this? But how? But you… It can’t be… 

Xanthe???”


	2. Chapter 2

“I suppose this will be easier to explain- and you would be more likely to listen- if I take off this mask I suppose.” Kallig takes off the mask, revealing- to Luke’s surprise- a normal young face. No scars or marking of dark side use, nor the piercing yellow eyes he witnessed on the Emperor. But it was Rey was responded first “What is this? But how? But you… It can’t be… Xanthe???”

 

“Yes. It is me.” Xanthe replies with a faint smile. Rey and Luke look at her stunned. “But, I felt no presence until now. How…-?” Luke trailed off.  
“It is quite simple really, if you have been well trained in the force. In my case, I also specialised in assassin techniques, so hiding or masking my force signature was essential. Darth Sidious- known by most as Emperor Palpatine- also knew that technique. I met him when he was a senator. He was none the wiser of my force abilities. If the Jedi knew of his force sensitivity and his link to the dark side, do you think he would have been able to even be a senator, let alone Chancellor of the Republic?”

“No, I suppose not.” Luke replied. “What is your purpose here if it’s not to kill us? As far as I am aware, the Jedi and Sith are a threat to each other.”

“Hmm, in a way yes, but my purpose is to keep the Jedi Order alive, as your kind are the only ones able to protect the core worlds at this time. The Sith are somewhat preoccupied at the moment. Despite what you may have been told, there needs to be a balance in the Force.”

“I agree. That’s why the time for the Jedi must end.” Luke states. Rey turns around in shock, “You can’t be serious!?”

Xanthe chuckles “That will not be necessary. There was once a group labelled as the Grey Jedi. Their purpose was to find a balance in the force, but unfortunately, some dabbled more dark than light. There were no guidelines so to speak and naturally some became quite ruthless and violent, eventually becoming known as Dark Jedi and so the order eventually vanished. There were other sects like the Revanites who were both Jedi and Sith, following a legendary Jedi-turned Sith-turned Jedi-called Revan. There have been many groups trying to find a balance. I’m not sure what philosophy this “Knights of Ren” group follows, but it does seem to be leaning more towards a Revanite type cult. There was an alliance that was made up of both Jedi and Sith, and for a time, it worked.” For a second Rey could’ve sworn she saw something flicker in Xanthe’s eyes before she continued on, “There needs to be a balance. Contrary to your beliefs and the Emperor’s, both- the Jedi and the Sith- must survive.”

Luke just looked at Xanthe and shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

Xanthe tilted her head, amused. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because I am no longer a Jedi. The Jedi order was destroyed when Ben joined Snoke, became Kylo Ren and massacred my students.” Luke looked away. “I failed them all.”  
Xanthe continues to have an amused look on her face. “Oh little Jedi… How much you still don’t know about the world...and life, I suppose.” She sits down, gesturing them to do the same. “This scenario sounds reminiscent to your father and to an extent- Obi wan Kenobi.”

“What do you know of my father?” Luke asked. 

“I know a lot more than just Anakin was lured by the dark side and became Darth Vader. I was disappointed that “Old Ben” didn’t tell you much of your heritage.”   
“How.. How did you know he went by the name of “Ben Kenobi”?” Luke demanded.

“It is quite a story actually. I will start with your father though. Now, Palpatine was quite the manipulator, as most successful politicians are. He was a senator from your mother’s home planet of Naboo, advised your mother to cast a vote of no confidence which resulted in Palpatine becoming Chancellor.   
When your father was taken to be trained as a Jedi, he saw- as did I and many of the Jedi- his strong connection to the Force. He befriended him, later stating that they were friends and he was the only Jedi he trusted. He convinced him that the only way to keep those he cared about safe, was to join the dark side.   
Circumstances were such, that he ultimately joined Palpatine somewhat reluctantly as the alternative was for Anakin to be cast out of the Jedi Order and Palpatine to be executed. Palpatine was a clever man. The Clone Wars were orchestrated by him and the clones were… you could say, “rigged” with an override command code named: Order 66, which basically meant the Jedi were enemies of the Republic and to be executed, and executed they were, as soon as Anakin pledged his allegiance to Palpatine and given the name of Darth Vader. In fact, in order to help cement him in his new role, Palpatine ordered him to lead the 501st legion of clone troops into the Jedi Temple and kill everyone inside.” Xanthe paused, looking at the solemn face of Luke and the outraged face of Rey. “I have seen this destruction with the Jedi Temple before. This time was much... cleaner.” Xanthe muttered more to herself more than to them.

“Did Palpatine keep his promise?” Rey asked. Xanthe was slightly confused “What promise?”  
“The promise of the ability for keeping those he cared about safe if he joined the dark side.” Rey clarified.

Xanthe’s amused look returned. “Heh. One bad habit of the Sith is manipulation, even amongst themselves. Always rare to find Sith with honour. You see… tragically, Vader, blinded by the rage influenced by the dark side, didn’t realise he injured his wife who, despite being treated for her injuries, ultimately died of a broken heart. But not before giving birth to twins.” Xanthe said giving Luke a pointed look. “After fighting with his former master and friend, Obi wan Kenobi, he suffered horrific injuries, which led him to be encased in the suit and mask most of us are familiar with. He turned to the dark side, only for his new master to tell him that he was responsible for Padme’s death. So, no he did not keep his promise. However, now that Vader had nothing left, he had no choice but to fully embrace the dark side, as there was no family, no Jedi, nothing left for him. Or so he thought at least, until you, Luke.”

“So why didn’t Darth Vader kill the Emperor?” Rey asked. Xanthe laughed. “Well he did actually, in order to save Luke. I saw the security footage before leaving the Death Star.” Xanthe explained before Luke could ask.   
“Perks of being part of the Imperial Guard.” Xanthe states with a shrug. “But I assume you mean why didn’t Vader kill Sidious immediately, rather than stay as his apprentice for so long? Well… Based on my own experience, and the ways of the Sith, the apprentice must surpass the master.  
I would assume Sidious told him there are Force techniques to bring loved ones back from the dead and only by being loyal and truly part of the dark side would he one day be taught the technique. As well for the fact that if he tried to double cross him, Force lightning would destroy Vader’s suit. His suit was purposely made with those flaws for many reasons, one of them being fear of Vader’s ability in the Force. Of course, being in proximity of Darth Vader as part of the Imperial Guard, I had sensed on more than one occasion of Vader’s desire to overthrow his master, as is the nature of the Sith.”

Xanthe looked over at Luke sensing more questions. She sighs. “Now, how I know about Obi wan… Quite simply, I met him through Senator Bail Organa- Your sister’s adopted father, while I was off duty as a Senate Guard. I had visited Kenobi on Tatooine, revealing my identity and through him, discovered the location of Master Yoda. Of course it took a lot of convincing that I was not a threat, and finally he introduced me to you and your aunt and uncle. Knowing that you and your sister were both were in good hands, I returned to Coruscant to keep an eye on the Emperor’s activities.” 

“So if you weren’t with the Emperor, and you claim that the Jedi must survive, why didn’t you help the Jedi or the Rebel Alliance?” Luke asked.   
“It was simply not my place. Masters Yoda and Kenobi were still alive and I had assumed you would be the start of the next generation of Jedi. Also, I was not going to risk my identity and life for your lot. This was the Republic’s mess, the Jedi’s mess. I monitored, yes. I kept artifacts hidden from the Emperor, yes. Stage a rebellion? Not my place. I had done that once before and that was enough for me. I had relied on the remaining Jedi to salvage what they could, not die off. Sometimes I wonder why I bothered…” Xanthe muttered to herself.

“So what now?” Rey asked. Xanthe gets up and dusts herself off. “I suggest you recruit as many force sensitives as possible and Luke, start training Rey as a Jedi, because very soon we’ll be dragged into another war.” 

“I will not train her. I told you I am no longer a Jedi.” Luke states again. Xanthe looks at him with the same look Obi wan had when after learning the truth of his father on Dagobah, refused to fight Darth Vader. “Then, the First Order has already won. The Republic is no more.” Then Xanthe’s eyes hardened. “Everything you fought for was for nothing. Everything your sister fought for was for nothing. Everyone that died, died for nothing. You saved your father for nothing. You should have just stayed on Tatooine Luke Skywalker.” And with that, Xanthe walks away, not once looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

“Disappointed statement: Well that was a waste of time Master. Are we sure he is a Jedi? He seems like a useless meatbag to me.”  
“Unfortunately HK, yes he is a Jedi. A broken one, but still one nonetheless. Even though he tries to forget his past… Some things just can’t be erased.” Xanthe says solemnly as they walk back to their ship. “Conclusion: So this meatbag is just like you Master. You are still Sith, even though you had avoided anything relating to it for quite a long time. Especially when Master Beniko is mentioned.” Xanthe stopped in her tracks and gritted her teeth. “I told you never to say that name and no, I am not like him. I am not weak, nor am I broken. I had served my purpose and I did not see the need to be involved in Core World affairs. Unfortunately Snoke has forced my hand by meddling in affairs that he has no place in.” She snaps out and resumes her walk to the ship. HK pauses, wisely staying silent, observing his Master before resuming his walk back to the ship.

\------

“Master Skywalker, you heard what she said! There is a war coming and we need to be ready. We need people! We need you!” Rey shouted.  
Luke looked away. “I told you Rey just like I told her, I can’t be involved. Restoring the Jedi Order just caused more misery. I can’t train you.”  
Rey just looked at Luke in disbelief. “I hate to actually agree with a Sith, but in this case I believe she was right. You should have just stayed on Tatooine.” She said in a disappointed tone, getting up and briskly walking out of the cave, not noticing Luke looking sorrowfully at her retreating form. 

\----

As Xanthe was about to open the door to her ship, she hears steps. “Wait!” Rey yells out. HK immediately points his rifle at her “Warning: Halt meatbag!” Xanthe waves him off “Oh HK, please. You have been told she is not to be harmed and even if she was to try and attack, she is no match for me.” HK lowers his rifle, “Admission: *sigh* I know Master. It was set to stun. Disappointment: These First Order meatbags were not enough of a challenge.”

“I know HK. You will get your chance at a real fight. I promise you.” Xanthe says with a slight grin. Rey finally catches up “We need to talk.” Rey pants out. Xanthe looks at her curiously, “The history of Skywalker is something that is easily found, but I am afraid I can’t help you with your family history.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s what you said about the war that’s coming.” Rey then looks in realisation and narrows her eyes “Is that even real or is it a ploy to destroy Luke and the Resistance? After all you yourself said you are Sith and Sith are known to be manipulators. Wait a minute… Is Xanthe even your name?!?” Rey demands.   
Xanthe looks sadly at Rey, who just a few hours ago was laughing and being taught how to properly use a blaster and probably considered each other as friends, now almost ready to attack her. “Yes Rey. Despite what you may think, that is my name. I have no reason to change it. Very few people knew me with that name. Most knew me as Kallig, Imperius, Outlander, Commander and some even referred to me as Nox. Please” Xanthe gestured, “Take a seat. I guess we have a lot to talk about.”  
“I’d rather stand thank you.” Rey bit out. “Xanthe sighed. ‘Stubborn girl, but why should I be surprised?’ Xanthe thought. “Very well. So now that my name is confirmed, what do you wish to know?”  
“Is the war real? Is it true the Force needs to be balanced? Are you really Sith, and if so, how could you survive this long? Are there more Sith? Can you truly beat Snoke? Why do you really want Luke to train more Jedi? Why did you befriend me??? Was it just to get to Luke Skywalker?!”

Xanthe’s head shot up “NO!” She shouted. “How could you think that? Your friendship to me was- no, IS genuine. Friendships were never easy for me considering my life experiences. If I needed to get to Luke, I did not need to become your friend for that. You reminded me of myself long ago to be honest. I was once a slave as well.” Xanthe took a breath to calm down. “You ask a lot of questions. The war? Of course it’s real. The New Republic has been decimated. The First Order is trying to exterminate what is left of the Resistance. There are rumours that Snoke himself will be present with the Fleet in the Core Worlds very soon. Of course there is a war. But they have Snoke and Kylo Ren. Military might is one thing, but it is nothing compared to Force users. We don’t have Jedi Master Skywalker at present.   
The Resistance has no hope at this time of surviving, let alone winning any battles. If he won’t come back, then at least train you to be the start of the new Jedi and the beacon of hope to the Resistance as he was to the Rebel Alliance.”

Rey scoffed. “There seems to be no chance of that happening. He is adamant that he is not a Jedi and doesn’t want to be involved, let alone train me. He still thinks the Jedi is what caused this mess.”

“Ah, yes. All because of one failure, he becomes a hermit like Obi wan Kenobi. At least Kenobi had the sense of training a successor even if he felt unworthy to continue as a Jedi Knight. Let me tell you something Rey. My Master tried to kill me. Her Master tried to kill me. His apprentices tried to kill me. Even the bloody acolytes- fellow initiates in the Sith academy- tried to kill me. Even Force Ghosts tried to kill me. If I was anything like Skywalker, I should have gone into exile a long time ago when my Master want to kill me and take over my body!” Xanthe roars out. 

She looks at Rey with hardened eyes and calmly continues. “Let me tell you something. The Republic was founded millenia ago. The Sith Empire came out of Korriban, or as you now know it as Morriband. They fought, and eventually the Empire was defeated.   
A lot of infighting did not help things… The Sith were almost wiped out. Centuries later, the recovered Republic and Jedi Order fought again with a revived Sith Empire, which somewhat ended the same way, thanks to two Jedi. One, by the name of Revan, stopped the Sith conquest and then left to the unknown regions and the second, a broken Jedi named Meetra Surik that was forcibly exiled, destroyed what was left of a new Sith group- the Sith Triumvirate. And once again, the Republic and Jedi were restored. As far as you know, the Sith Empire is no more. The Sith are extinct, ending with the death of Darth Vader. The Republic was reinstated and is now under threat by the First Order. The Jedi are gone save one broken Jedi. Seems like the Force is trying to find a balance don't you think?"

“I… perhaps?”

“Of course the Sith are not completely gone. We have been in hiding… Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the Empire I grew up in. As I said, the Force needs balance. I feel you could improve the Jedi with certain reviews to the Jedi code. The Jedi never learned to adapt… making the same mistake as the Sith, too arrogant and set in their ways, which in turn, paved the way for Sidious to crush them all in one single swoop. That is what I hoped to achieve and avoid with the Sith remnants I helped preserve.   
To me, history is repeating itself. When the Republic and Jedi were all but extinct, a broken Jedi, who was exiled, was responsible for reviving the Jedi Order and preserving the Republic. She, like Skywalker, was reluctant to be involved again. She was betrayed by her own fellow Jedi and Masters and yet, she eventually retook her role as a Jedi and later died to save the Jedi and the Republic. If you wish to know more, you may come inside. It is nightfall and I’m hungry.” Xanthe said standing up, dusting her robes and gesturing Rey inside her ship. 

Xanthe starts walking to the door of her ship, but stops when she notices there’s no sound behind her. She looks back to see Rey just standing there. Xanthe sighs and rolls her eyes. “Despite the stories you may have heard about the Sith, I am human and I do need to eat. Now, are you coming in or not? HK can escort you if you wish.”  
“Exclamation: What?! But Master-” The look that Xanthe shot back was enough to stop HK from continuing his protest. “Resignation: Very well Master. Follow me… Meatbag.” HK says and walks inside. After a moment, whatever internal battle Rey had was resolved as she followed HK inside. Xanthe sadly watched Rey’s form walking down the corridor sighing to herself before making her way inside also. As she was about to close the door to the ship, she sensed a presence… faint, but still a presence. ‘It worked.’ Xanthe thought to herself as she closed the door.

As Xanthe made her way through the ship, she was greeted with the sight of Rey tinkering with HK’s casing. “What are you doing?” she asked curiously. “A minute ago you both wanted to kill each other? Now you’re…. Besties?”  
“Reluctant answer: I had a ...minor misalignment, which this meatba- I mean Rey noticed and offered to readjust. I assume it was from a lucky shot in the cave Master. Appraisement: Surprisingly, she is actually competent in engineering. Perhaps more so than Master Beni- I mean… the former Minister of Intelligence.” HK turns around excitedly “May we keep her Master?”   
Despite HK’s slight slip up, Xanthe couldn’t help but break a bemused smile at the change of tone. ‘All because of one tune up’ She thought to herself. Rey noticed the slight change in HK and Xanthe when he was in mid sentence of what she assumed was a name, but chose not to comment, although she mentally filed it away for future reference.   
“Well when you’ve finished tinkering, help yourself to whatever is in the storage lots. There isn’t much of a selection I admit. Mostly porg, fish and wild vegetation.” Xanthe states, gesturing to the corner of the mess hall. She settles down and starts eating silently, waiting for the questions that Rey will inevitably ask. Eventually, she hears HK walk away and footsteps and clothes rusling across from her.   
She looks up and sees Rey looking back with a guarded look. She sighs. “I know that look. I’ve had it on my own face many times. If I wanted to harm or kill either of you, I would have done so. Or perhaps it’s the rumour of the reputation of the ‘Big Bad Sith’ that has you all riled up, or it’s simply that you feel betrayed by someone you trusted.” Xanthe says as more of a statement rather than a question, looking back down resuming her meal.

“Whatever gave you that idea.” Rey answered sarcastically. “I don’t understand why you needed to hide all of this and lie to us. We wouldn’t have told anyone- There isn’t even anyone here!”

“Fear.” Xanthe said simply, not bothering to look back up.  
“What?” Rey asked confused. “Fear.” Xanthe repeated.   
“I don’t understand. Fear of what?” Rey pressed. Xanthe looked back up with a barely noticeable smirk. “Fear of me.” When she saw Rey about to protest, she elaborated, “Fear of me, or rather, the fear of what I represent. Fear of Sith, fear of the Dark Side. Although curiously enough, you don’t seem to fear the Dark Side, just the individuals wielding it. Would you or Skywalker have been as accommodating or as open if I just came up to you and said, “Hey there! I’m a crash landed Sith Lord, member of the Dark Council of an Empire thought to be extinct, who’s been alive for over a thousand years. Pleased to meet you!” Xanthe shouts out sarcastically, giving Rey a pointed look, who in return has a less than amused look on her face. Xanthe folds her arms, “Yes, I didn’t think so.” she concludes.  
A beeping sound interrupted the two Force users, “What’s that?” Rey asks. Xanthe doesn’t reply, but goes straight to the cockpit, smiling faintly when she sees who is hailing her. She turns to see Rey at the entrance to the cockpit. “Well? Why are you standing there for? Sit down. The chair won’t kill you.” Xanthe pats the co-pilot’s chair, gesturing Rey to take a seat.  
“I have someone I’d like you to meet Rey, although I am certain you’ll have even more questions for me after this holo call.” Xanthe accepts the call, revealing a holographic image of- “Ah Lord Scourge, impatient are we? I find it hard to believe you would already be at Yavin 4?”  
“No my Lord, I am currently en-route. I wanted to inform you that ships from the First Order are breaching Wild Space and also, intelligence has noticed fleet formations. It seems they are planning an actual fleet assault on the Core Worlds. Rumour has it that Snoke himself will be overseeing the invasion.” Scourge states.  
“So he has become overconfident after all…. Here I was thinking he might have had some wisdom after all this time. Most disappointing. Oh, meet Rey, a potential Jedi apprentice and hopefully the one responsible for reviving the Jedi Order.

“So you are the one Darth Imperius has been keeping an interest in… Pleasure to meet you young Jedi. I hope to meet face to face, although I take it by the look on your face that the feeling is not mutual.” Scourge pauses, recognition showing in his eyes. “Your presence… Your… defiance… They remind me of a Jedi from long ago. Meetra... “ He shook his head. “My Lord, if she is anything like the Exile, there may be no point in going after Snoke, she could probably finish him herself.”  
Xanthe laughs, giving Scourge an amused look. “If she had the training Surik had, or any proper Jedi training, then perhaps. At this point, she is less of a threat than a Padawan. Plus, I would love to have the satisfaction of seeing the look of pure shock and fear on Snoke’s face when he sees a Dark Lord of the Sith in front of him. Speaking of which,” Xanthe comments with a sigh “Any First Order ships that breach our space- eliminate. Leave no survivors or witnesses. Also, change of plans Lord Scourge- move ships to Korriban. We may need more ships in case the system is guarded by the First Order. We need to secure Korriban. It belongs to us, not Snoke. I will meet you there in a few days. Oh and Scourge?”

“Yes my Lord?”

“Has the hyperspace tracking been completed? We may need it very soon. The First Order may already have it.”  
“Do not fear my Lord. That is how we have been monitoring the First Order. I assure you, the technology works.”  
“Very good Scourge. Call more ships and secure Korriban. I will meet you there. May the Force serve you well.” Scourge bows in response “It will be done. May the Force serve you well also my Lord.” The transmission ends with the hologram of Scourge flickering out.

Xanthe leans back into the chair waiting for the inevitable reaction- “I resent that.” Rey grumbles. She looks at Rey amusedly. “Well yes, I admit you are strong in the Force and strong willed, but your training is… almost non-existent. You’re basically training yourself through guesswork and luck.”  
“Luck? I beat Kylo Ren on Starkiller base-”  
“-And you got knocked out cold in the cave back there. Kylo Ren is but a child as far as training is concerned. He knows of the Force and he knows a few tricks, but his fighting form is very sloppy. He has power, but not properly trained. If he was, he would have killed you. You also have power, but unlike him, you are more disciplined. That is why you survived. That is why you beat him on Starkiller base, but not here. But enough of that. I invited you here as you had questions. Ask away.” Xanthe stated casually.  
“Who was he? I’ve never seen his species before?” Rey asked, genuinely curious.   
“Yes, well, he is Lord Scourge, formerly known as the Emperor’s Wrath and is a Sith Pureblood. A native of Korriban or Morriband- whatever name you are familiar with. They were thought to be extinct, but as I said, the Sith Empire has been in hiding for a long time. New worlds in the Unknown Regions and then later in Wild Space were settled, as it was clear that Korriban would be out of bounds for quite some time.”

“What will you do when the First Order is defeated? What will happen to the Resistance and to the Jedi?” Rey asked.

“Nothing. As I told you before, my purpose in being involved is to make sure the Republic and Jedi survive and to be rebuilt. The Force needs balance. It can’t do that with only one side in existence. Snoke has disrupted the balance by sabotaging Skywalker’s attempt to create a Jedi Academy. My only goal now is to neutralise the First Order. Nothing more.”

Rey seems to accept that answer and asks something she was curious about from what Xanthe said earlier, “What did you mean when you said “a thousand year old Sith Lord?” How old are you???”  
Xanthe looks back with a bored expression “Exactly what I said. I’m over a thousand years old. How do you think the Sith Empire could survive? The Sith were thought to be extinct for nearly a millennium. I look good for my age don’t I?”   
Xanthe asks with a grin. Rey shakes her head. “Impossible. The Force can’t extend your life that long can it?”  
“Well yes and no… As far as Force tricks go, you’re more like transferring your essence from body to body through the Force- like my former Emperor- and as such, you’re capable of living for quite a long time or devouring someone else’s life force to sustain your own, but this is not my case. Mine was due to... Dabbling in things I wasn’t ready for and frantically finding something to fix me. Which I found and later on, stumbled across technology that… Improved me. Side effect was I have a unusually long lifespan and I have no idea when I’ll actually age properly. Scourge’s lifespan is not natural either, but his longevity is due to Sith sorcery as a gift from our former Emperor, Vitiate. As a side effect, he is in constant pain and his emotions are somewhat impaired.”

Rey nods. “ I see. What happened to you? What things did you dabble in that caused all this?”  
Xanthe shakes her head, “Another story for another time Rey. Maybe when all of this is sorted with Snoke, then I can tell you about my adventures in more detail- and no, don’t bother asking HK, as he wasn’t around when all this occurred.” Seeing Rey’s expression looking like a deer caught in headlights, she continued “I don’t need to use the Force to know that’s what you were thinking.” Xanthe stated, seeing Rey’s expression turn into a guilty one in being caught out. “Just so you know, I will be leaving in two days for Korriban. If you wish to come with me, you can. I personally recommend you stay with Skywalker and if he still refuses to teach you anything, then read the Jedi lore inside the Temple and teach yourself. He is the last link of the Jedi and if he and the lore are gone, then so is the Order.”

“I want to stop Snoke. I don’t think I can do that here.” Rey admitted. “Will the Dark Side be enough to stop Snoke?”   
Xanthe shook her head, knowing exactly what Rey was getting at. “Despite what you may have heard, the Light or the Dark Side alone is not enough to stop anyone. You. Need. Training.” Xanthe tells her, pointing her finger and emphasizing each word. “Don’t follow me thinking I will allow you the opportunity and teach you the skills to kill Snoke. You need to succeed the Jedi Order. If you don’t care for the Jedi, then I will not stop you from coming with me, but do not follow me only because of Snoke. Understand?”  
“Yes I understand.” Rey replies. “I…don’t like it, but I understand. I will go back and see if Master Skywalker has changed his mind. I don’t want the Jedi Order to vanish. They’re the only hope the galaxy has.”

Xanthe nods, a faint smile on her face “Good. That’s what I was hoping you would say. Take care of yourself Rey and I hope our paths cross again in the future.” Rey looked at her alarmed. “ You’re not coming back? Even after Snoke?” 

“I… might. It may be a while as I need to secure Korriban and see what Scourge has done with the Empire. I very much doubt you would still be here by that time. Oh- Here is my holocom frequency should you need it.” Xanthe said as an afterthought, handing over the holocom datapad. “I… Thank you.” Rey replied. “Good bye Xanthe… For now.” Rey adds with a small smile. Xanthe smiles in turn, realising that Rey is slowly warming to her again. “Yes, for now. What was it the Jedi say? Oh yes. May the Force be with you.” Rey nods in reply and walks out, heading back to her cabin.


	4. chapter 4

Rey sits in her room cleaning her blaster, when she feels a presence. When she looks up, to her horror she sees Kylo Ren, but without his mask. He seems just as surprised to see her as she is to see him and before anything else could happen, she fires her blaster at him, only to find she’s made a hole in the wall. Later when Luke enquires what had happened, she lies, saying her blaster went off while cleaning it. She keeps this new development to herself, planning to ask Xanthe about it later.

 

\-----

 

“Anticipation: I can’t wait to leave this place Master! But I must admit I am disappointed that Rey can’t join us.”

 

“She has a more important job at the moment HK. I am sure we will meet again. I must admit, a part of me is eager to meet with Scourge. It’d be nice to see a familiar face, and see how much the Empire has grown in my absence.” Xanthe admits with a small grin. She pauses, feeling a slight disturbance. “Hmm… strange.” She says more to herself than to HK. “I feel...a presence, but very faint, but also not threatening…Feels like Kylo Ren… but...” she cocks her head to the side and furrows her brows, slightly puzzled “...Snoke?” and just as quickly, the feeling vanished. Xanthe frowned. “Strange...Most strange indeed.”

 

Rey was NOT happy. After randomly seeing Kylo Ren again and again and then Luke’s less than composed reaction to discovering this development, she gave up putting it off and went to see Xanthe.

“He could be turned back… We were working as a team, not as enemies. It has to be true...” Rey mutters to herself amongst other things as she was trudging along. “ It would’ve helped if he put a bloody top on.” she grumbles as an afterthought. A voice suddenly sounded behind her, “If who put a top on?” Rey jumps startled, and turns around seeing none other than Xanthe with a very innocent expression on her face… ‘ _Too innocent’_ Rey thinks as she notices her fighting back a grin. “You know, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. I could’ve attacked you with a lightsaber or something.” Rey says irritably. “Ha! I’d like to see you try.” Xanthe replies. “So what brings you here anyway Rey?”

 

Rey looks at her in confusion and then looks around and realises she’s already at Xanthe’s ship. ‘ _How did I not notice...? I was more in thought than I realised.’_ she thought to herself. “I was looking for you actually. I think we may have a little problem.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been seeing Kylo Ren, like really seeing him. I could even feel him. I even tried shooting him, only to end up making a hole in the wall. Eventually Master Skywalker saw the two of us and he didn’t react well. I touched his hand and I saw the future! I saw that he joins us. He and I were fighting together, so there must be hope for Ben Solo!” Rey says excitedly.

 

“That is… an interesting… development.” Xanthe says slowly, deep in thought. “Firstly, force visions, especially of the future are not always accurate nor are they always how they appear to be. Just because you saw him fighting with you, doesn’t necessarily mean he turned back to the light. It could be that YOU agreed to join him, or that Snoke tries to kill him, so you both team up temporarily. It could mean anything… or yes, it can be simply what you saw. All I’m saying is don’t take Force visions as something set in stone. Anything can change the outcome. On a more important note, these “visits” you get from Kylo Ren, seem to be of a Force bond nature. Usually you need to have a strong affinity or connection to another, such as master and acolyte or in your case, padawan or apprentice, or family members or other loved ones. Usually Force bonds don’t happen between strangers… the only way it can happen in these conditions, is if it was _forced_ or manipulated.

It has been done in the past. It was accidently forged by the Jedi padawan Bastila Shan, when saving Darth Revan’s life and was purposely created by Kreia, who was once a Jedi Master turned Sith Lord and forcibly bonded herself to Meetra Surik, known in most Jedi texts as the Jedi Exile. I feel that this Force bond is not natural. You must be careful Rey.” Xanthe warns.

 

“I will. That’s why I came to see you. I have decided to go and confront Kylo Ren. We must be bonded for a reason. Maybe I can find the light in him and bring him back.” Rey says confidently. Xanthe rubs her head, feeling a headache coming on. “That is not what I meant. You should be keeping away, not entertaining the idea.”

 

“But I have to do something! The Resistance needs help and Luke Skywalker isn’t doing anything! He doesn’t want to get involved!” Rey shouts out in frustration.

 

Xanthe sighs. “I understand your frustration, especially in regards to Skywalker. However I do believe you should stay and learn…” Xanthe trails off as she sees flashes of… ‘ _Memories? No… Events? Visions? Is this… the future?’_ She sees Kylo Ren, she sees the Force Tree, Snoke, General Organa, Skywalker, The First Order, The Resistance, Lord Scourge, the ancient Jedi texts, Sith holocrons, Rey helping the Resistance, Rey helping Kylo Ren, Rey looking at holocrons and texts and-  ‘ _Lana????’_  The blonde figure just smiles as if she heard her and vanishes. Xanthe snaps back into reality and refocuses on Rey. “Xanthe? Are you alright? You seemed a million miles away and you also look very pale.” Rey asks, looking very concerned. “I… No… Yes… I don’t know. I saw… things. I think I understand what you meant in regards to Kylo Ren.”

 

Xanthe remembers the Force Tree and Rey. She smiles. “ You know what? You are right. Luke isn’t going to do anything, so it’s up to you what you want to do. If you still want to follow Kylo Ren and try to redeem him, I will not stop you. You are right, the Resistance needs help. You are the only other person besides Luke that can do something.

I still believe you need to learn the ways of the Force and of the Jedi, but if he won’t show you, there are other ways to find what you need.”

“How? There are no other Jedi to learn from?”

“Who says you need a teacher?” Xanthe replies with a grin. "Not every Sith or Jedi had a teacher, they learned through other means… like observing, or reading, or following their instincts. Trust your instincts Rey and trust the Force. The Force will guide you with what you must do next. If you are still unsure- Meditate. Meditation is a technique used by both the Jedi and Sith to centre themselves. Meditate and the Force will tell you what to do next.”

 

“I don’t know how… Can you show me?” Rey asks. Xanthe nods. “Very well. Sit down like so… Close your eyes and slow your breathing. That’s it. In…. and out. Clear your thoughts. Relax… Just… feel…

“ _You were never one for meditation were you?”_

_“No, not really… I’m too…” Xanthe waves her hands around, unable to find the words._

_“Fidgety? Impatient? Stressed?”_

_“I...Yes… All the above I suppose.”_

_“Well then, I believe you have a greater need to meditate that I do.”_

_“I… don’t know how” Xanthe admits in shame. “I am too busy watching my back for who wants to try and kill me next. I don’t know anything else. My Master only wanted to use me as her vessel. I was only trained in enough things to keep me alive long enough for her objectives to be completed.” Xanthe mutters sadly. She then looks up pleadingly “Can you...Can you show me?”_

_“Of course. It would be my pleasure.”_

 

Xanthe continues breathing with a small sad smile. ‘ _It’s been so long since…’_

“That’s it Rey, keep breathing in and out. Let the images- if any- come to you. If there are none, don’t worry. Just feel… Feel the Force around you.” Xanthe says softly, not wanting to break Rey’s concentration. They continued like this for the next ten minutes, not noticing HK silently observing them. Eventually Xanthe opens her eyes, observing Rey. “So… How do you feel now?”

 

“I… I think I’ll need to do this more often. I saw things… felt things. I think...everything seems clearer now. I think I know what I have to do.” Rey says as she opens her eyes. She stands up, brushing off the dust and dirt from her clothes. “I don’t see the point in talking to Skywalker. I’ll do what I need to do and then I’ll leave to find Kylo Ren and help the Resistance.”

 

“Very well. The Force has shown me that we will meet again. I still believe your meeting with Kylo Ren will not be as you expect it to be, but you will survive the encounter and you will be there with the Resistance. I also saw you as a Jedi. It appears you will be able to do just fine without a teacher.” Xanthe says with a smile. “Good luck, and may we meet again.”

“Thank you Xanthe. May the Force be with you.” Rey replies, walking back to the Jedi Temple and the Force Tree.

 

“Oh by the way, from what I saw, I believe a double bladed saber would suit you.” Rey turns back questioningly. Xanthe puts her hands up in defense “I’m just saying.” Rey gives a small smile and replies “I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome. May the Force serve you well Rey.”  
  



	5. Chapter 5

 

“Inquiry: Master,  _ now _ are we leaving?”

 

“Patience HK. I need to prepare and pack.” Xanthe looks over at HK-55 eying the droid up and down and adds, “Something that it seems droids don’t have to worry about.” 

“Assumption: Is this an indirect order to assist you Master?”

“You may if you wish. Your assumption is neither correct or incorrect. But I would rather have no more interruptions if we wish to leave this planet sooner rather than later.” Xanthe states, resuming her packing, pausing as she hears the sound of the engine of a ship take off.  _ ‘Finally. Hopefully she doesn’t kill Snoke before I do…’  _ Xanthe thinks to herself.

 

As per the Sith Lord’s order, HK-55 stands by silently, surveying their surroundings until it notices something in the distance. As HK notices the packing and preparations coming to an end, it decides now should be a good time to state its findings. “Observation: Master, I think you should see this. It seems like something has caught fire.”

“What?” Xanthe asks, quickly walking over to HK and looks outside. “What in blazes? Is that the Force Tree on fire??? What is Skywalker thinking? I swear he’s gone insane!” Xanthe angrily all but shouts. 

“Master, my sensors indicate that the tree was struck by lightning, not by the Jedi, although it seemed he did intend on burning the structure down. He is also not alone. As the Millenium Falcon was heard leaving earlier and judging by the size, I can confidently assume, the Jedi’s companion is not Rey.” HK states.

 

“There is no one else… Who could it possibly…” Xanthe trails off as she checks her macrobinoculars, “...Yoda.” Xanthe shakes her head. “ I don’t believe it, it’s Master Yoda. He better had a bloody good explanation for destroying those texts…”

 

“Explanation I have, Darth Imperius.”

 

“Warning: Halt, small ghost looking meatbag!”

 

Xanthe rolls her eyes. “You can’t shoot a ghost HK, no matter how much you try.” She turns around fully, coming face to face with the former Grandmaster of the Jedi Council, Master Yoda. “A pleasure to see you again Master Jedi. “ Xanthe greets with a smile.

 

“Good to see you too it is, my young Sith, Lord Xanthe Kallig.”

 

“I am over three and a half thousand years old and you are calling me “young Sith”?

“Young you look, young you shall be.”

 

Xanthe laughed. “Your humour has improved over the years. But how about your sanity? You just destroyed the one thing that could teach Rey what she needs to know in order to continue the Jedi Order.” Xanthe questioned.

“Nothing left in the tree there was. Took what she needed the girl did. As much I said to young Skywalker.” Yoda replies. Xanthe blew a sigh in relief. “So she did take them then?”

Yoda nods in confirmation. “Good. So now I can get ready to meet the others. I guess there is nothing left here, since Skywalker refuses to get involved.” Xanthe states.

“Confused Skywalker is. Help, I believe he will. His time is near however.” Yoda replies.

 

“In that case, Rey will truly be the last of the Jedi… Or perhaps, the first of the new?”

 

“First of the new I believe she will be. Necessary your guidance will be for young Rey-”

 

“No way on Zakuul will I be involved in that girl’s training! I know only theories about the Jedi teachings. The best I can do is find a holocron for her to learn from.” Xanthe protests.

 

“Guidance between light and dark she needs. Provide that you can.” Yoda calmly states. Unfortunately, Xanthe can’t actually argue that point. “Fine.” Xanthe grumbles, “That I can help with. Right now however, I need to clean up the mess that the late New Republic allowed to exist called the First Order. No offense, but they are more hopeless than the Republic I remember.”

“Offense not taken. Agree I do.” Master Yoda replies. “ Before you leave, message I have for you.”

“Oh?”

“Always helps, meditation does and “fear does not become you”, I believe it was.”

Xanthe pales “You’ve spoken to her?”

“Yes, numerous times. Interesting Sith, that one is. Frustrated with you she is. Wanting to speak with you, but allowing her you are not.”

“ What? How? Of course I want to speak with her. I’ve always wanted to see her, but I never heard or saw anything so I assumed…. She had become one with the Force.” Xanthe says sadly. 

Yoda clears his throat. “It seems correct she was in her assumption, so second message I have for you. “Quote I do: “Stop being so stubborn and why do you let your fear stop you from reaching your potential again? If you wanted to see me, why do you avoid everything concerning me, even avoiding my saying my  _ name  _ out loud? How do you expect to see me when you try to deny my very existence?” End quote I do.”

Yoda continues, “Very unhappy she is. Heard your exploits I have. Destroyed tratorious Sith, killed a reincarnated Sith Emperor, Commander and Empress of a Galactic Alliance and many other things. Happy we are that you are meeting the Sith, unhappy we are that you cannot find purpose, only duty. Die on the battlefield she prefers, rather than in your room on your ship.” 

Xanthe stays quiet for a while and simply states “...Duly noted Master Yoda.”

“Agree with her I do. Sympathise with your pain I do. Happiness she wants for you. Loyal you are to her. Finding a companion, necessary it is not. Finding a purpose and living is what she asks. Companionship… against it she will not be should you find it.”

Xanthe looks sadly at Yoda “I really do miss her. I tried but I can’t stop the pain. That was the only way I could think of. I didn’t realise the consequences of that. Thank you for your advice and her messages. I will try to do what she- what you both -ask. I appreciate it, my ‘Little Green Jedi Menace’ friend.” Xanthe says with gratitude in her eyes, as well as a small smirk.

“Remember that you do?” Yoda chuckles. “Owe you I do for providing Dagobah to me. Believed you to be dead by the time of the Clone Wars I did.”

 

“You were a lot more agile back then, and very dedicated to the Jedi code. I could never get a clean hit on you. Only sometimes getting you with lightning… just enough to slip away. I knew that if I explained who I truly was, you would want to kill me even more. You were more annoying than bounty hunters at one point. Trust me, I was relieved when you thought I was gone. Took quite a bit to conceal my identity while serving Palpatine in the Royal Imperial Guard, with him and yourself in the same room with me.” Xanthe says with a fond smile.

 

Yoda turns, as if hearing something, “Sorry young Sith, go I must. Remember yourself and trust in the Force. May the Force be with you Lord Kallig.”

Xanthe bows in response “And with you Master Yoda.” She lifts her head, noticing Yoda had already vanished. 

With a familiar feeling she hadn’t felt since the days of her time on Odessen, she smiles. Turning to HK, she says “Alright HK, I think it’s time we left this blasted island.”

 

“Excitement: Finally Master! Will we get to blast some meatbags?”

 

“In due time, after we meet Scourge, but yes… we most certainly will.” Xanthe responds with a grin.

 

“Plot course for Yavin 4.”

 


	6. chapter 6

“What is going on- Oh Sithspit!!!” Xanthe cried out, abruptly turning the ship, narrowly missing a fighter blast. “I thought I told you to send Scourge a message to expect us!” She cries out, while rapidly trying to avoid more shots. “Statement: I sent a message of our arrival to the coordinates stated, as per your orders. You did not say to send specifically to the red meatbag.”

“Why you… unbelievable- Shavit!” Xanthe hisses out, narrowly avoiding a head on collision with one of the assumed Sith fighters. “Be of some use and take over the controls while I try to contact Scourge before we become space dust.” Xanthe growls out before rushing into the communications room, activating the holoprojector. To say Xanthe is in a grumpy mood is an understatement. With all that was revealed and experienced, she needed a bit of time to mentally recover.  _ ‘All I wanted was a good night rest for a change. But no… I almost get blasted out of space for it. Damn droid…’  _

 

“Scourge, come in! Do you copy?”

 

After a bit of static, a figure appears on the projector. “My Lord? I thought you were to meet us at Yavin?”

“Yes, I am already here! This blasted droid didn’t send the message to the right ship and now we’re being attacked by a squadron of fighters and one of the ships from your fleet! Tell them to seize fire!”

Scourge frowned “ No one should have engaged regardless. What ship-”

  
“It’s the same one it has always been! _Fury_ -class! Tell everyone to seize fire NOW!” Xanthe cuts in, shouting and slamming the holoprojector effectively cutting communication with the Sith pureblood. By the time she reaches the bridge, she notices that the fighters have retreated and sees the Sith ship moving away. ‘ _For all their lack in coordination, at least they respond to orders immediately.’_ Xanthe observes. “Find Lord Scourge’s vessel and dock there. If I’m not mistaken, the communications log says it should be _‘The_ _Marauder’_. Confirm that it is and board. Notify me when we have docked.” Without bothering to wait for any acknowledgement or reply, she quickly turns and heads for her quarters.

 

This  _ Fury- _ class vessel- more famously known as  _ The Rage’ _ , for one who has seen it from the moment it was given to Lord Zash’s apprentice and sees it now, would have thought it was frozen in time. Although if one looked close enough, they would notice there have been some necessary upgrades- courtesy of HK-55. This was one of the few places where Xanthe- Lord Kallig felt solace and comfort. The dark red lighting of the common area and the red, black and purple colours of the walls and furniture remind her of what she once was, where she came from, what she was once a part of. 

 

At the request of Xalek and Darth Marr- who was she kidding? More like at the request of Lana Beniko who noticed the ‘bareness’ of the ship and suggested she hang something, as a condition of travelling on ‘ _ The Rage’ _ , she also put up a couple of banners of the Sith Empire, to which she got a nod of approval from all three insufferable Sith. One of which, she was looking at right now, wondering if they still use these banners in the ‘Remnant’ Sith Empire.

Turning back to her closet, she sighs. Finding outfits to wear was never easy for her. The former Dark Advisor usually assisted in those matters. “Shall I go as Imperius the Sorcerer, or Imperius the Assassin? Decisions, decisions…” Xanthe sarcastically mutters to herself. In her closet, there are a couple of ceremonial robes, a few more tight fitted ones for her time  as Zash’s apprentice, stealthily assassinating her master’s enemies, a few Zakuulan style robes during her time as the Outlander- something she doesn’t want to remember much of, and then her eyes notice something. An outfit at the end, a dark purple-almost black robe, with lighter purple and red trimmings inside, and if one looked closely at it, it had customised designs and decorations, mostly of Sith symbols, a request made by the one who purchased it. A lot of effort went into the creation of this robe ‘ _ and definitely not cheap.’  _ Xanthe reminds herself. 

Putting that one aside, for a more appropriate time, her eyes settle on another outfit. Similar to the one she wore when engaging the Knights of Ren, but slightly more flowing and elegant. “I have to make a Sith-worthy impression I suppose.” she thinks out loud as she takes out the outfit. The robe itself is black, with a few grey and purple markings, but underneath is a set of light armour, fully geared with a utility belt, bracers, armoured shin protectors and protective gear draped along the upper body, along with a personal shield generator-which to her delight- still functions, in the form of a red glow emanating from gaps in the protective gear for her upper torso. 

Last but not least, the mask of Aloysius Kallig. As she puts on the mask, she can feel the power of the dark side surrounding her, encompassing her, strengthening her. She decides now is probably a good time to try to centre herself, so she settles into a meditation position and allows herself to bask in the power of the dark side.

 

“Announcement: Master, we have docked with the red meatbag’s ship. They are requesting to come on board. Shall I blast them?” 

 

Xanthe blinks, surprised that more time has passed than she realised, but then smiles to herself when she remembers what possible futures the Force showed her. She looks into the mirror, seeing the mask of Kallig staring back at her. She smirks and replies “ No HK. I will go to them. Time for me to intimidate a few Sith.”

“Question: What if they become hostile Master? Then can I eliminate them?”

“Well if they become hostile, then they will face the wrath of Kallig and learn first hand how I become Darth Imperius, member of the Dark Council and ruling the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. If any survive, you may finish them off.”

“Gleeful response: With pleasure Master!”

 

“Alright, let us go and meet with our “wonderful hosts” and see what Sith these are.” Xanthe says as her and HK walk to the airlock.

As they open the door, they are greeting by two robed and masked individuals that Xanthe assumes are Sith, as well as six troopers, all armed and ready to attack. Xanthe cocks her head to the side in amusement. Ignoring the threat, she asks “Where is Lord Scourge? I am most displeased with the lack of hospitality the Empire now has to a fellow Lord of the Sith.”

One of the masked Sith scoffs in reply. “No Sith has flown in those outdated ships. Your signal is not even recognised by the Empire. Anyone can play dress-up and say they’re Sith. Now stand aside and let us board your ship and prepare to surrender.”

Xanthe tries her very best not to laugh, amused that this assumed young Sith has no idea who he’s talking to. Contemplating her next course of action, she sees Scourge in the distance, quickly coming to greet them. With that, she decides to toy with this young Sith  _ ‘After all’  _ she thinks to herself,  _ ‘They need to learn their place with a Dark Lord in their midst… and remind them why I am a Darth.’  _ Turning back to the young Sith that scoffed at her, she replies “You have no idea to whom you speak. Do you?” both young Sith and even the troopers felt a chill in the air as she uttered those words, the dark side presence becoming more apparent. 

One of the masked Sith  _ ‘the smarter one’  _  Xanthe observes, quickly turns to his fellow Sith “Maybe we should listen to this one. After all, Lord Scourge allowed for them to board. Perhaps it is another Sith. Surely you felt the dark side grow stronger just now?” he warns. The other Sith shakes his head in response. “No, if anything it’s probably Lord Scourge’s presence you sense. Don’t let this outsider intimidate you.” Turning to Kallig, he raises his arm turning on his lightsaber, revealing an intense crimson coloured blade. “Stand aside, or you will be struck down.” he threatens. 

Kallig doesn’t respond. In fact, she doesn’t move at all. All of a sudden, the young Sith drops his lightsaber and starts clutching at his throat, while the blasters are pried out of all of the troopers’ hands through the Force. The other Sith looks around frantically, afraid he may also be attacked and asks “Who are you?”

“She is Darth Imperius of House Kallig, former member of the Dark Council of the Imperial Sith Empire and formerly headed the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge- roles I hope she reclaims soon.” Lord Scourge answers, walking up to the young Sith and looking at the display with amusement and interest. Taking that as her cue, and sensing the suffocating young Sith’s realisation of his mistake, she ends his misery by crushing his windpipe with the Force. She observes his body crumple to the floor and satisfied that there is no more misunderstanding, she turns to acknowledge her host. 

 

“It has been a while Lord Scourge."

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

 

“It has been a while Lord Scourge."

 

“Indeed it has my Lord.”

 

“....Punctual as always.” Xanthe adds sarcastically, dusting her robes. Scourge looked almost apologetic and fidgets slightly as he explains, “I was detained by the Head of the Sphere of Military Offense who was questioning my orders to cease fire,” he pauses and briefly looks at the dead Sith on the floor “...and who also happened to be the master of the promising young Sith you just executed.”

“Oops.” Xanthe says with a shrug. “Ah, what a coincidence. Like master, like apprentice it seems. Perhaps it is time this Sith Lord gets… “reassigned”. I would very much like to meet this individual.”

“You should not underestimate him Darth Imperius. He loves the battlefield. He thrives on destruction.” Scourge warns. Xanthe turns to him “And he should learn his place, when dealing with another Dark Councillor. Especially one who is responsible for the survival of our Empire.” she snaps back.

“That I do agree with. He has become quite arrogant I admit. But many Sith have been like that over the centuries. Even your master, Darth Zash and ...my  _ replacement  _ Wrath’s master- Darth Baras were much like this one. Not all were honorable like yourself and Darth Marr.” Scourge reminds her. “You… are correct. I apologise. It has been a long time.” Xanthe admits.

He looks around remembering why she came in the first place. “ I have arranged your quarters. Follow me.” He then turns to the surviving young Sith “You will accompany us also.”

“Of course Lord Scourge.” he replies, bowing.

“Let’s go HK.”

“Statement: With pleasure Master.”

 

As they were walking through the corridors, Xanthe observed everything. She noticed the ship layout was similar to those of her Empire… the Empire under Emperor Vitiate. The Imperial troops and officers, their uniforms were  _ almost  _ the same, slightly modified and advanced. She pauses as she sees the Imperial banner and smiles. The insignia had not changed at all, providing her some small comfort in reminding her that this is still the continuation of the Empire she once served and not a remade Empire like Darth Sidious’ Republic turned-Galactic Empire. 

 

“Here we are Darth Imperius. I will notify the other Lords and Darths of your arrival. I will return shortly. Until then please make yourself comfortable.” Scourge finishes with a slight bow. Imperius responds with a slight inclination of her head, signalling Scourge to leave. She turns to the young Sith, who seems like he would rather be anywhere but there. “Perhaps you should follow him.” She suggests. He immediately sees his way out and eagerly agrees hurrying to catch up with the former Emperor's Wrath.

 

She shakes her head in amusement and enters her assigned quarters. She so badly wants to take off that mask, she’s always hated wearing anything on her face but she still has a role to play, plus there is no need to reveal her appearance just yet. After all, the room may be bugged even if she does trust Scourge. She takes a look around, the room is fairly simple, a couch, table, bed and a couple of chairs. Imperial banners decorate the room, and to her surprise, an insignia representing the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge was also put up. “HK. I am going to meditate. Do not disturb me unless necessary. Until then, monitor everything and sweep the room for bugs.”

“Statement: Yes master.”

 

A call on the holocommunicator pulled her from her meditation.  _ ‘Since teaching Rey how to meditate, it seems to have become easier for me to meditate as well.’  _ Xanthe muses before answering the call. She looks at the figure in surprise “Scourge? What are you doing on the communicator?”

“I apologise my Lord. It seems the master of the apprentice you killed is out for blood. He doesn’t seem to care or understand who you are. He is on his way now. Be warned, the other Lords and Darths are following, more out of curiosity to see who you are and what will happen between you two, rather than to deal with this ridiculous show.”

 

“Are you telling me that no one on this Dark Council has any sense to stop him?”

 

“There was one who did voice her opinion on the matter and recommended they deal with the theatrics later and for now focus on what your presence means for the Empire.”

 

“Good. Someone with reason. Who is this individual?”

 

“Her name is… Darth Marr.”

Kallig blinks. “Darth…. Marr?”

“Yes.” Scourge replies. “She is apparently a descendant of the former Darth Marr. Marr seems to be her family name as well, so to honour him, she decided to use his title. She even wears his mask. Alternatively, she did go by Marrvisas, but, most are accustomed to calling her Marr.”

 

“I see.” Kallig says nodding slowly. “Well being connected to Marr, I’m not surprised she is the only one with some intelligence. As for the fool coming to declare vengeance on me, what is his name?”

“His name is Darth Nathema.”

“Nathema? As in the planet Vitiate destroyed- Nathema?”

“Yes. As head of the Sphere of Military Offense, he considers himself to be...the Destroyer of Worlds.”

Kallig just scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief. “These Sith are getting more and more stupid. This is what was responsible for the downfall of our glorious Empire in the past. At least Darth Thanaton was trying to use tradition to justify killing me. This one is delusional. You better hurry over Lord Scourge. I wouldn’t want you to miss his early….  _ Retirement. _ ”

 

“I am on my way my Lord, but remember- He thrives on death and destruction and bloodlust. He is more like Darth Vengean, but with less restraint.”

Kallig smirks under her mask. “I performed the Force Walk. I hand bound three ghosts to me. I harboured and fought the Emperor in my mind. I have survived attempts on my life by Arcann, Vaylin, SCORPIO, Thanaton and Zash- twice. I know techniques that other Sith could only  _ dream  _ of. You should have more faith in my Scourge.”

Scourge smirks. “Very well my Lord. You have been inactive for so long, I hope you know what you are doing. I would hate to have to replace the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge again.”

“Low blow, Scourge, low blow. But I will overlook that this time. It is time to meet the fool “Nathema”.” Kallig states, switching off the communicator. “Get ready HK, you may get to eliminate a few Sith today also.”

“Excitement: My circuits are tingling with anticipation Master.”

 

They exit their quarters only to see who she assumes to be Darth Nathema, with at least eleven other Sith following behind, who she assumed were the remaining Dark Councillors, as well as a small crowd of other Sith and troops trailing behind.

 

Kallig stands patiently with her hands behind her back in a relaxed stance. As Darth Nathema comes closer, she observes his appearance- Sith pureblood, his appearance corrupted by the dark side, scars and implants decorating his face and heavily armoured.  _ ‘Not very practical for dodging’  _ she observes. Addressing all Sith present, Kallig states “Ah, so you are my fellow Councillors, running our beloved Empire in my absence. Surely you all know who I am now, yes?”

Darth Nathema stops and snorts in disgust. “I do not care who you are. Personally I do not believe you are who Scourge says you are. All I know is that you killed my apprentice and I demand blood. How dare you kill the apprentice of a Dark Councillor! Who do you think you are?”

Imperius just stares at him. “ I am Sith.” She deadpans. “This is the way of the Sith. He did not show the proper respect for a Darth. More specifically, that of a Dark Councillor and was not strong enough to withstand my power. As far as I am concerned, he was not worthy of being Sith.”

 

The last comment got the reaction she was hoping for. She felt the rage before seeing it and had her lightsaber ready before he cried out in rage, sending Force Lightning her way. She easily caught it with her lightsaber, redirecting it elsewhere. Getting the target angry, would make them a more dangerous enemy, but anger, if not channelled properly, can also cloud one’s judgement and make them more likely to make mistakes. Nathema pulls out his single bladed lightsaber, which hummed a brilliant crimson and charged at her. Physically he was stronger than her, if the blows he was trying to inflict was any indication. ‘ _ Pity. He would’ve made a good Sith Commander.’  _ Imperius thought to herself while trying to dodge his attacks. She fires lightning at him at close range, surprising him and sends him flying into the wall with a Force push. “Are we done with the sparring now? Perhaps now we can deal with more pressing matters.”

 

That caused Nathema to get up in record time, screaming out in rage “ You will die Imperius! You don’t know what Sith is. I will make you see and experience pain like none other. You will be begging for death!” and with that he charges at her, lightsaber held high and roaring a battlecry. Imperius isn’t even going to bother trying to block that attack, so she does what she’s best at. She vanishes.

Nathema sees only a door and all but smashes into it. In confusion he turns around as do the other Sith, trying to find the former Sith Assassin. Immediately, Nathema clutches his chest, falling to the ground. He turns to see Imperius with her hand raised outward. “You haven’t experienced true pain  _ young one _ .” Imperius says in a low voice. “Let me show you.” And summoning the Dark Side in a way that she hasn’t done in a long time, it almost felt… refreshing, or perhaps even re energising? 

She allowed her pain and hatred to flow through, remembering her hardships, her losses, her pain at the hands of Zash, the ghosts, Valkorion, Arcann, Vaylin, the loss of her crew, Theron and Lana. Her eyes immediately glowed a bright purple and lightning of pure dark energy poured out. She could sense him trying to repel it through the Force, but the intensity and aftershocks still enveloped him in pain. He was screaming in a way no one thought possible, even if he wasn’t actually burning yet. Imperius eventually stops her assault and states, “Now Darth Nathema, I know what it is to meet death alone. Our former Emperor saw to that. I shall soon show you. “Destroyer of Worlds?” Heh. I was known as the “The Forcewalker- Binder of Ghosts.” Prepare to be reunited with your apprentice.”

 

Imperius doesn’t move. No lightning emerges from her fingertips, but Nathema’s eyes widen as he slowly rises and he starts to convulse and scream, eventually he becomes limp and silent and drops to the floor, his face fixed in a tortured expression. To the horror of most other Sith, save Imperius, Scourge and a few more experienced Dark Councillors, they realised his mind was destroyed, internal bleeding if the blood from his nose, ears and eyes were any indication and his heart was finally and literally crushed. All signs of the violent and rarely used dark ability- Force Crush.

  
Imperius takes a few moments to calm down and let the the effects and influence of the dark side subside- she has a pretty face to protect after all- and also to give the other Sith a few moments to come to terms with what just happened. HK breaks the silence “Statement: Was he the only threat Master, or am I expecting more resistance?”

Looking at the other Sith, she replies “I believe that was it HK. I think my fellow Sith understand now. So...” Now noticing Scourge, she clasps her hands behind her back “Let’s get this meeting started shall we?” 

 

Scourge looks at her amused, and doesn’t even bother to hide his smirk. Darth Marr steps out, clearly looking like the leading councillor,  _ ‘Just like Marr’  _ Imperius thinks to herself. “Yes, now that this matter has been...resolved, I think it would be best to get this meeting underway. Please follow us to the Council Chambers... Darth Imperius.”

“With pleasure.”

As she follows Marr and the other Lords to the council chambers, Scourge starts to speak. “It has been so long since I have see power like that. It reminds me of our glorious past before Vitiate abandoned us. I am...glad you have not done away with your identity and past. If anything… you seem less conflicted than the last time we properly spoke.” he comments, regarding her curiously. “Yes...I guess I had an epiphany. Certain truths were revealed to me before I left Ahch-To.” Imperius responds, not once looking at Scourge. He realises she will not elaborate on this and decides to drop the topic. “Nonetheless I am pleased you did not disappoint. Your mastery of the dark side is as what was rumoured centuries ago. I now understand why you caught Vitiate’s attention. I have not seen that technique used in some time… and the Force Rage… I did not expect you to still have that level of mastery over it after so long. I admit, I am impressed.”

“Compliments? From you? It seems I am not the only one getting soft Lord Scourge.” Imperius replies.

Before Scourge could reply, Darth Marr turns and addresses them. “We are here. Only the members of the Dark Council, Lord Scourge and our guest, Darth Imperius are allowed to enter.” She then turns to the crowd that followed them. “The rest of you spineless Sith and Imperials may leave.” Turning to Imperius, she ushers them inside. “ I apologise for this embarrassing and foolish display. This is most unbecoming of Sith.” Sighing, she adds “I believe we have  _ much  _ to discuss.”

“Yes, I believe we do and unfortunately I fear we are running out of time.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

“Yes, I believe we do and unfortunately I fear we are running out of time.”

 

Marr regards Imperius for a few moments before replying, “From what Lord Scourge has told me of you, I did not expect you to be the dramatic type.” She ushers Imperius and Scourge to the centre of the room while she and the other council members take their places around them. Imperius observes the council chambers comparing them to the chambers she once served in, noticing the similarities and differences. Scourge notices, despite the mask hiding her features. “You must remember much time has passed. It is impossible for things to remain as they were entirely. Despite your altered view of the Force and the Sith Code, you are surprisingly still somewhat of a idealist and oddly enough- a traditionalist.” He states in a hushed tone.

For the first time in years, Scourge feels a twinge of something that could be described as sympathy, he adds “I have been observing the Empire for centuries, while you have been… absent. I am even older than you, so I know what you are craving to have- to see that most familiar to you. However, in order to continue and get stronger, you must remember and accept that change is inevitable.”

Kallig stands still for a few moments before acknowledging Scourge’s advice with a nod.

 

“Now that the Council is assembled, we have many things to discuss. Before we continue, I will give you a brief introduction to the Dark Lords currently seated.” Gesturing to each Sith Lord, she introduces them. “This is Darth Occulus, currently supervising the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge until it is seated by the appropriate Sith Lord. He is also head of the Sphere of Military Strategy. Darth Severin, head of the Sphere of Expansion and Diplomacy. Darth Chrysis, head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. Darth Necron, head of the Sphere of Mysteries. Darth Archaeus, head of the Sphere of Laws and Justice. Darth Lycius, head of the Sphere of Imperial Intelligence. Darth Dracos head of the Sphere of Biotic Science. Darth Teraton of the Sphere of Technology. Darth Nicene, head of the Sphere of Production and Logistics and myself, Darth Marr, head of the Sphere of Military Defence, and currently covering the sphere of Military Offense, due to Nathema’s… untimely demise.” 

 

Taking a breath, she asks Imperius “So is it true that you are the infamous Darth Imperius, the Force Walker from the time of the Sith Emperor Vitiate and my ancestor Darth Marr?”

“Yes, it is true. Lord Scourge and myself are all that is left of the Sith of that time.”

“Lord Scourge also claims that the survival of the Empire is due to your intervention. If that is so and that you care so much for our glorious Empire, where were you for most of this time?”

Imperius hesitates momentarily before replying “I had much... galactic mess to clean up. I had to make sure Darth Bane’s Rule of Two did not affect our Sith Order, I had to keep the Jedi Order and Republic distracted and away from our space. Then I was also delayed with Darth Sidious’ attempt to wipe out the Jedi, which would have been disastrous had he been successful.”

“I fail to see how another Sith- even one following Bane’s Rule of Two- destroying our ancient enemy- the Jedi- is a problem?” Darth Severin asks.

“It is a problem because you and the Sith of old, fail to see the larger picture. You fail to see how the Force works. This way of thinking is what made the Empire- that was still exposed to the Core Worlds- collapse and vanish! It is because of this type of logic that Bane’s philosophy came to be. It is also the same reason why the Jedi Order was almost wiped out twice! I have lived long enough to see that the Force works differently to what we all believed. 

Our code is correct in unlocking power and strength through the Force, however the code does not explain the properties of the Force. Once you start to understand, you can unlock even more potential. From my experiences and observations, the Force requires balance.”

Darth Chrysis leans forward in interest. “You believe the Force requires balance? Please elaborate Darth Imperius.”

“The Force requires equilibrium. If all dark side users - Sith- vanish, that would tip the balance to the light side- the Jedi. In order to regain equilibrium, the Force will create dark side users and scenarios to tip the balance more towards the dark side. Unfortunately, that  eventually leads to the Sith wiping out the Jedi Order and tipping the balance all the way to the dark side.”

“Which will most likely lead to a creation of a strong light sided individual, or individuals who will try to destroy us, as the Force tries to regain a sense of equilibrium.” Darth Chrysis concludes. “Your philosophy has merit in my opinion. I personally would enjoy to discuss this in more detail later.”

“I am reluctant to accept that philosophy, however in my experience in dealing with artifacts and mysteries, I have found… questionable things in regards to the nature of the Force. I am also interested to hear more of this at a later time.” Darth Necron states.

“So, from what I can deduce from this and what Lord Scourge has told me, you claim you were trying to protect the Empire and you thought the best way was by not actually leading the Empire and working from the shadows instead?” Marr asks.

“Yes.” Imperius replies simply. Before Marr questions further, Imperius elaborates “ I have always been better at working in the shadows than on a throne. I had a taste of leading an alliance- an empire- and I do not want to do so again. I knew I would be absent for a long time, that is why Lord Scourge was asked to oversee everything and to make sure the Empire and Sith Order continued to thrive. Unlike him, I had… distractions that would compromise my ability to lead the Sith and may be considered weak. I was reachable should there be any problems. Of course when Palpatine’s empire collapsed, I heard they were retreating to the unknown regions, so I had to notify Scourge and manipulate events to lead the defeated empire away from our space and colonies. Then with Snoke’s involvement, that had delayed me further as I had to make sure he was not aware of us. I had intended to return after the Rebel Alliance had re-established the Republic. I never abandoned the Empire. I did not go through all this effort with Lord Scourge and other allied Sith Lords to take a remnant of the Empire before it was destroyed by the Republic to Wild Space and laid the foundations to help it grow powerful again only to abandon it like the former Sith Emperor did.” Imperius looks directly at Marr “I do not abandon my people.” she finishes.

 

All members of the council turn their heads to Darth Marr to see what she would do next. It is silent, even Scourge seems to be as still as a statue, making Kallig wonder if Scourge is secretly amused or actually uneasy. 

Eventually Marr speaks, “From the strength demonstrated before in your duel with Nathema, and your passionate speech about preserving the Empire, I suppose I am... convinced that you are who Lord Scourge says you are. Ideally, I would offer you Nathema’s seat, but seeing as you already are a council member, I welcome you back as the head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. Thank you Darth Occulus for your hard work preserving that Sphere.” Marr motions for Imperius to take her seat on the council. Turning to the other Dark Lords, Marr asks “Now that Nathema’s seat is vacant, any suggestions as to who should take over?”

“Perhaps Lord Rampage?” Darth Severin suggests. 

“Rampage? He’s just as bad as Nathema. How about Lord Straton? He does have military experience.”  Darth Occulus offers.

“How about Lord Scourge?” Imperius suggests, causing all councillors to stop speaking. “I am actually surprised that he hasn’t been on the council this whole time. He would make a good addition as he has many years experience in battles and interrogations. I nominate Lord Scourge as the new head of the Sphere of Military Offense.” Imperius states.

“Scourge has never… requested a seat on the council and had in fact, insisted that his role was to be outside Council jurisdiction as the Emperor- I mean Empire’s Wrath. A title that he claims -and historian Lord Mythia has confirmed- was given to him before you left.” Marr mentions.

Imperius smirks under her mask and turns to look at Scourge. “Well now I am back. We may need to find another person to take that title, don’t you think Lord Scourge?”

“I do not know my Lord.”

Knowing the sequence of events leading up to this moment, Imperius retorts “Of course you know Lord Scourge.” Turning to the other councillors, Imperius asks “ So who shall we put on the council?”  Marr speaks up, “Those in favour of Lord Scourge, raise your hand.” All but two councillors raised their hands. “Very well, it is done. Welcome to the Council, Darth Scourge, head of the Sphere of Military Offense.”

Scourge bows. “It is an honour to serve.”

Imperius turns to Marr, “Shall we conclude this Council session?” she asks. Marr nods in response. “Yes, we have much to sort through and I believe you have much to catch up on. Darth Occulus can help you with what has been happening within your Sphere. We will reconvene tomorrow as I believe you have more to discuss.” “Yes, one more day will not be of any consequence.” Imperius states.   “Very well. Council session is now closed. May the Force serve us all.”  Marr concludes, rising from her seat, followed by the other council members. 

 

When all council members had left the room, Imperius turns to Scourge “You actually used  _ that  _ title?”    
“I never could stand politics.” Scourge grumbled. That caused Imperius to burst out laughing. When she caught her breath, she sighs with a chuckle. “ And you think I like politics? Oh, by the way, don’t think I didn’t notice your stunt with Nathema. I experienced enough of that power play with Zash. Of course, I was happy to assist, especially since I realised he was a fool.”

“Only fulfilling my role in protecting and serving the Empire my Lord.” Scourge replies, not acknowledging or denying the accusation. “...the Empire does not need fools.”

“No it does not.” Imperius agrees. “Also, you are now a Council member whether you like it or not. It is the least you owe me after that stunt. You do not need to call me “my lord”. We are on the same level now. We, however, do need to find a new Empire’s Wrath. I want to avoid any Emperors or Empresses from rising, we do not need another Vitiate, Acina or Sidious at the point. Speaking of which-” Imperius was interrupted by a disturbance in the Force, a disturbance originating from the Dark Side. “Scourge? Do you feel that?” 

“Yes… I felt a disturbance. A powerful dark user, not as powerful as Vitiate. It feels similar to...” Scourge turns in surprise, “Could it be-”

“Snoke. Damn it!” Imperius interrupts, cursing when she realises what just happened. “Sithspit! It happened too soon… I apologise Scourge, it seems we won’t have the opportunity to personally destroy Snoke. I have a feeling that the Apprentice has defeated the Master.” She huffs in annoyance. “Now we have to deal with a temper tantrum child who doesn’t know what to do with the First Order. It seems like we will have to speed things along Scourge. Now with the loss of Snoke, everything has become unpredictable. Now may be the perfect opportunity to reclaim Korriban and land rapid strikes against the First Order. I can only assume he will want to hunt down the rest of the Resistance, so he will be distracted. I guess it is some small comfort he is not as bad as Vaylin and Arcann…”

Scourge snorts in response. “They are of Vitiate. Nothing could be worse. Speaking of families… that Jedi initiate you found. What became of her?”

Imperius’ eyes widen in realisation “I… I’m not sure. She left, intending to “redeem” Kylo Ren. However with this development… I never felt a disturbance or absence…” she breathes a sigh of relief. “I assume she’s safe.”

“Do you think perhaps she killed Snoke?”

“Unlikely. Snoke is skilled and disciplined. Most likely was killed with the element of surprise or betrayal. Plus I don’t feel a fall, but I do feel hatred coming from Kylo… and surprise and disappointment from Rey.”

“...Seems they aren’t in agreement.” Scourge states. “No. I didn’t expect they would be. The girl is still young and naive. Much like a true Jedi initiate or Padawan… Full of hope and ideals.” Imperius replies. “Hopefully she understands a little better after this. I think she will be ok for now, but with this unexpected development with Snoke…” She sighs, “I must meditate. I will speak to Marr to arrange another meeting shortly.” 

“Very well. I will be awaiting the council summons.” Scourge replies and turns, walking to his quarters. 

 

After Imperius watches Scourge walk away, she turns seeing HK still on surveillance mode. Sighing, she signals HK to accompany her. “You are getting better at being discrete HK. I’m impressed.”

“Why thank you Master! Observation: Your sighing implied otherwise.”

Imperius hummed in response. “No, I just discovered that there’s been a complication.”

“Query: Oh? Is it regarding the young Jedi, Master?”

“Partly yes. She is fine, but circumstances have pushed plans forward. Korriban will be sooner than we thought.” Imperius replies walking back to her quarters deep in thought. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Depending on responses and feedback, I may wrap it in a two or three chapters, otherwise, I'll modify it as a one shot only.


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